Capital Project Request

The process of renovating existing buildings and constructing new buildings at the Missouri University of Science and Technology is complex and on-going.  A new research lab may be required to recruit a world-renowned faculty member; a significant change in pedagogy or research technology may require redesigning any number of teaching or research facilities; new programs may require additional space; or a building may have reached the end of its useful life and need to be replaced. All of these capital project needs are important to the University and can drive the need for a major renovation, a building addition, or a new building.

These guidelines were designed to provide a consistent, transparent process for submitting your department/division's capital project needs to the Design & Construction Management Office to ensure that they are reviewed and considered along with other institutional needs.

Full Capital Projects Guidelines: Capital Project Guidelines

Application for Capital Project Consideration (email completed form to spaceman@mst.edu)

Key Points From Capital Project Guidelines

Most major capital project needs are required to follow the capital projects process described in this document, although there are a few exceptions to this rule. The distinguishing factor is typically based on the estimated cost of the project and/or the impact to the broader campus. The list below defines when capital project needs are or are not required to follow the process.

Estimated CostGeneral Guideline
Less than $1M

In general, Department/Division have autonomy in planning and initiating new construction or renovation projects that are estimated at less than $1 million and do not need to follow these guidelines.

Note: Office of University Advancement should be involve in all projects that receive charitable contributions.
$1-$5M

If a project is estimated between $1M and $5M, department/division must follow these guidelines and formally submit their capital projects needs to Design & Construction Management.

Note: Capital Projects under $5 million will not appear on UM System Capital Project Listings.
Over $5M If a project is estimated at over $5 million, Department/Division are required to follow these guidelines and formally submit their capital projects needs to Design & Construction Management.
Special situations

Some projects have broader campus impact and require discussion with the Design & Construction Management Office before the project begins to ensure that it aligns with institutional needs and priorities, regardless of estimated cost.  These projects include:

  • New classrooms, laboratories, computer server rooms, food venues, and libraries
  • Space conversion (e.g., converting classrooms to office space)
  • Renovating space that is used campus-wide use (e.g., classrooms or Leach Theatre)
  • Changes that affect a building’s exterior
  • Changes in land use
  • Projects that require financing with debt service

 

The following information provides a high-level overview of the capital projects submission, review, and approval process, and general time frames for each phase. This document describes each phase in greater detail and includes other important information related to capital project planning.

PhaseDeadline
1. Department/division submits capital needs to Design & Construction Management. July 1
2. The Missouri S&T Capital Projects Committee review new and existing needs.  The committee decides the institutional priorities.  Committee and/or Director of Design & Construction Management discuss projects with other relevant administration and gather information as required. July 15
3. Director of Design & Construction Management informs department/divisions of the status of their submissions. Department/divisions with needs that are deemed a high priority are informed of next steps based on these discussions. September 1
4. Department/divisions that receive Design & Construction approval to explore their capital needs further begin a programming study with D&CM.
NOTE: The programming phase is expected to last 9-12 months, and the programming study will be submitted the following year for consideration as a capital project.		 October 1
5. The Director of Design & Construction Management submits final project information and priority ranking on the UM System Capital Project List to UM System. January 30

To ensure that each capital project submission is considered fairly, we ask that you:

  1. Email your application for Capital Project Consideration (found at at designconstruction.mst.edu) and any supplemental information to spaceman@mst.edu on or before July 1st. Complete the application in its entirety.  You are permitted to provide supplemental information if necessary (no more than 15 pages, excluding photos).
  2. Ensure that your submission addresses the following items and includes specific examples to help explain the context of your unit’s overall need.
    1. Description of your facility challenges
      • What is driving this capital project need at this time? (e.g., changes in programming, pedagogy, or research; increased enrollments; faculty or student recruitment and retention; ability to compete with peer institutions); benefit to our six customer groups.
      • How are your existing facilities affecting:
        • Your unit’s ability to meet its core mission?
        • Faculty, student, or staff success?
        • Your unit’s ability to compete with peer institutions?
      • How has your unit worked around your facility challenges to date? (e.g., repurposing existing space to other uses, using another unit’s space, leasing space, optimizing and/or reconfiguring existing space)
      • What are the challenges of continuing to address the problem in the same manner?
      • How will your unit continue to operate if this capital need is not addressed at this time?
    2. Supplemental information: Please share any supplemental information that supports your narrative. Examples include:
      • Trends in student enrollments, faculty headcounts, or visitors (for public goods, if applicable) over the past few years)
      • Trends in research expenditures (or other measures of research productivity over the past few years
      • Relevant comparisons between your unit and peer institution’s (e.g., enrollments, faculty, square footage, research expenditures)
      • Faculty or student recruitment or retention issues that are directly related to the limitations of your current facilities
    3. Support of Strategic & Master Plans: Please share how your project would support the Strategic Plan and Campus Master Plan.  For supporting the strategic plan, please indicate which levers are supported.
    4. Funding Plan (no more than 1/2 page): Please share your thoughts on how your capital need would need to be funded:
      • Is your department/unit financially prepared to support a programming or study?
      • What are the fund sources anticipated for this project?
    5. Photos: You may include up to 20 photos of your existing facilities to help describe the challenges you face.  Please include the photos in your Statement of Need.  Note that these photo pages should not be counted toward your 15 page limit.  Include a brief description of each photo.

After receiving all capital need submissions, the Director of Design & Construction Management and S&T Capital Projects Committee review each new capital need carefully to determine institutional priorities. Existing needs that have not yet been addressed are also revisited.

The Capital Projects Committee representatives include:

  • Provost
  • Dean of Engineering & Computing
  • Dean of Arts, Sciences & Business
  • Vice Chancellor of Finance & Administration
  • Vice Chancellor of University Advancement
  • Director of Design & Construction Management